THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 13, 1937-
DELIBERATE RAIDS ON BRITISH SHIPPING
Attacks Continue After Official Protest
BRITISH- PROTEST
TO JAPAN
Shanghai, To-day.
The British authorities have protested to the Japanese author- ities against the shelling and ma- chine-gunming from the shore and air attacks on British gunboats and merchantmen at Wuhn and near Nanking yesterday, in which one naval rating was killed, and several wounded-Reuter
400-YARDS' RANGE FIRE DESCRIBED
"ORDERS TO ATTACK ALL SHIPS IN YANGTSZE"
GUNBOATS BOMBED "DEPLORABLE
AND REPLY WITH
3-INCH GUNS
Hankow, To-day.
British gunboats and merchant-ships at Nanking
IMPRESSION" IN LONDON
London, To-day.
yesterday were subjected to repeated aerial Yesterday's attacks on British bombing and machine-gunning by Japanese warships in the Yangtse have creat- planes.
ed a deplorable impression in Lon- don, says Reuter's diplomatic cor-
Official circles at present have tacks, and are awaiting details of
only brief confirmation of the at-
First attack was made at 1.30 p.m. when three Jap-respondent.
anese machines power-dived and loosed eight bombs on H.MS. Cricket and H.M.S. Scarab, both of which opened fire with Lewis guns. The planes then attacked the concentration of Bri-
tish shipping two miles above Hsiakwan and close study immediately they are
the whole circumstances of the in- cidents.
The details will be subjected to
AS MISTAKE! dropped several bombs, which fell perilously received. Reuter
Hankow, To-day.
close to several vessels, The gunboats again opened Admitting that the firing on Bri-fire with Lewis guns, whereupon tish gunboats was a mistake, Col. a further batch of planes turned their attention to the gunboats, Hashimoto, at present senior Japan-loosing six more medium-sized ese officer in the Wuhu area, to-bombs without scoring any hits.
The gunboats then brought day said that Japanese troops had
their 3-inch guns and pompoms orders to fire on every ship in the into play, and the planes dis-
Yangtse.
appeared.
SECOND ATTACK The concentration of British
The statement was made in reply to representations by the British Consul at Nanking, Mr. shipping was bombed a second time at 2.30, and the gunboats H. I. Prideaux-Brune, following again opened fire with 3-inch yesterday's incidents at Wuhu.
It appears that Mr Prideaux guns and pompoms. Neither the British gunboats nor the British vessels Brune, together with the
were hit. Military Attache, Lt-Col Lovat- Fraser, and Flag-Capt. G. E. M O'Donnell, arrived at Wuhu at 7.30 yesterday morning on board the tug "Tsingtah," owned by the British Lumber Company, and not by B. and S., as previously reported.
MACHINE GUN FİRE
The Senior Naval Officer, Nanking, Capt. Ashby, of H.M.S. Cricket, made repre- sentations to the Japanese authorities after the first at-
RANGE OF 400 YARDS An hour after firing ceased, After they had embarked in the HMS. Bee arrived at Wuhu, and river gunboat HMS. Ladybird, was also fired on by Japanese field- which was lying in midstream alguns, at one time from a range of little way above Wuhu, Japanese only 400 yards but on hits were re- troops on shore opened up with magistered
Damage to the "Tsingtah" and chine-guns on the Tsingtan, which immediately steamed down river. “Suiwo" has not yet been ascertain- The firing was kept up until the ed
Later, Mr. Prideanx-Brune, Col. tug was out of range-Beuter.
HMS. Ladybird got up steam in Lovat-Fraser and Flag-Capt. O'Don- order to proceed alongside and pronell, went ashore to protest to COL Hashimoto, who stated he had been test against the incident.
Just when she was weighing an ordered to fire on every ship in the chor, Japanese field batteries, which river, although he admitted that fir- were clearly visible on the shore, ing on British gunboats was a mis- opened up on the merchant-ships take."-Reuter. concentrated above the A.P.C. in- - stallation
FOUR HITS
S.BA's FUNERAL
The naval rating killed yesterday in the attack on H.M.S. Ladybird
Bay At
The firing was kept up until and HMS. Bee, was HMS Ladybird was abreast of tendant Lonergan. Wahu General Hospital. The gun-
The funeral took
WIHUA
boat sustained four direct hits, kill at 9 am to-day
SBA IN Lonergan, serious- wounding another seaman, and
wounding several others,
Flag-Capt O'Donnell
was also suffered b
river steam
fying astern
Was
tack, and also requested the Semier Naval Officer, Shang- hai, urgently to protest to Admiral Hasegawa and ask for
safety British shipping
for
conc
ration:
all British gunbo
THIRD ATTACK
A third attack concentration the aftern machines,
open fire on all HMS. rephed thenever ships
were again issued and Ley
Don't be vague
ON. THE TRADE
FOR THE “HONE
HAG&
the shipping made later in ree Japanese eight bombs. S Scarab pompoms
ask for Haig
NO FINER WHISK
GOES INTO ANY BOTTLE
The Butterfie
by
planes
four bomb
GANDE PRICE & CO. LTD.
George's B
ONG